Family Time
by SmilesSaveLives
Summary: After Awakened. Rephaim was just getting into the swing of things living with Stevie Rae and the rest of their friends in the tunnels, but now he must move on to an even more challenging adventure: meeting the Johnsons.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N**

**I know, I know. I really shouldn't be starting another fanfic when I'm currently working on so many others. But, inspiration comes as it will, and who am I to pass up plot bunnies when they come hopping into my brain? After all, I've either got fingers itching to write or hard core writers' block. I'm just gonna go with it. Wish me luck!**

**I don't know how long I'm gonna make this fanfic…it might not end up being as long as I plan my others to be. I'm also currently working on the next chapter of What Could Have Been. Sorry if that one isn't your favorite, but I think I'm gonna start having some sort of order to my writing. Unless I suddenly get undeniable inspiration for one specific fanfic, I'll probably update whatever is at the bottom of the pile. At the moment, that's What Could Have Been. Of course, now I'm adding another one into the mix, so here goes.**

**Disclaimer: I still do not own HON. Nuff said.**

**~Smiley**

* * *

Chapter 1

"It's just for the couple weeks," Rephaim said to himself, shoving random clothes into the duffle bag. "How bad could this possibly be?"

It had been three weeks since Nyx had granted him the blessing that allowed him to be fully human at night. It had been three weeks of knowing true happiness with the beautiful girl he loved so much. It had been three weeks of making new friends and receiving glares from those who will probably never trust him. But overall, it had been three weeks of bliss.

Bliss decided not to hang around anymore.

"How on earth did I get roped into this?" Rephaim asked himself for what seemed to be the umpteenth time.

_Well, considering you have a really hard time saying no to her, this really shouldn't be too much of a surprise_, Rephaim thought to himself. _And how long did you honestly think you would go before meeting her family?_

Obviously, he had not thought this one through. Rephaim sighed. Maybe he was nervous about the whole thing. Maybe he kind of wanted to puke at the thought of meeting her family. Maybe he wanted to run screaming away as fast as he could.

But…it just made her so _happy_. Stevie Rae was so excited when she told him that things had calmed down just enough for Zoey to be okay if she went to go visit her family for a little while. (After all, he had been informed that although she had spoken to her mother, the rest of her family hasn't seen her since her "death"). She had been jumping up and down, causing her curls to bounce in her exuberance, when she had asked him to come with her. She had been bustling around the room, shoving completely random necessities into her little suitcase, smiling hopefully at him and giggling with pure happiness all the while. She had said that she would understand if he didn't want to go, but the look in her eyes…he just couldn't say no. It didn't matter how much it scared him. It made her happy, and that's all that Rephaim cared about.

He had just finished zipping up the bag when Stevie Rae hurried into the room, doing some strange mixture of skipping and bouncing and running. Forcing himself to give her a brave smile, he threw the bag over his shoulder just as she grabbed both his hands and squeezed excitedly, suppressing a squeal of pure joy.

"C'mon, c'mon, c'mon, c'mon, _c'mon_!" she said, practically dragging him out of the room.

"I'm coming," he said, laughing. He didn't have to force his smile this time.

Looping her arm through his, she made him skip/run to where the little car was parked outside. Zoey and Stark were waiting by the bug's open truck. Stevie Rae's suitcase was already inside, and Rephaim placed his next to it while Zoey and Stevie Rae were hugging and saying good-byes.

"And if you need us to come back, then just give me a call and we'll be back so fast it'll be like we were never gone," Stevie Rae told Zoey.

"Yeah, yeah, okay. Go enjoy yourself! You deserve the break, and you definitely need to catch up with your family. We'll handle the stuff down here. After all, we need to clean up the tunnels and just regroup before we go back to head-to-head fighting with Neferet," Zoey said. Rephaim closed the truck door, and after one last hug, Stevie Rae got into the driver's side.

Stark, who normally didn't talk to Rephaim much, clapped him on the shoulder. Rephaim could tell he was holding back laughter. "Good luck," he managed.

"Thanks," Rephaim said.

"You better be careful. I think her dad's got a gun," Stark told him. He couldn't hold back his laughter anymore as Rephaim's eyes widened. Stiffly, Rephaim got into the passenger side of the bug, which Zoey had so generously leant them for the trip.

He closed the door, sealing himself in his own doom. Stevie Rae backed out of the lot, driving away to Zoey's waving and Stark's mocking laughter.

Stevie Rae had told him the car ride was about an hour, possibly up to two if they hit a lot of traffic. That gave him an hour before he met her family. An hour before he found out if her parents would accept him or cast him away. What if they didn't like him? What if they forbade him from ever seeing Stevie Rae again? Could they even do that? Oh, he didn't know! But he had an hour of anxiety before he could find out. By all the gods, this was torture!

But then he felt her hand, small and soft, slide into his hand. She intertwined their fingers and gave him a reassuring squeeze. It gave Rephaim the strength to meet her gaze.

And what he saw made it all completely worth it. In her beautiful blue eyes he saw compassion and kindness and happiness and, above all, love. Always love.

Rephaim smiled back at her. He could do this. For her, he could do anything.

* * *

**A/N**

**I know, it's short, but they'll get longer, promise! Review please! I have midterms this week, so getting some feedback would be awesome. Like Rephaim, I need some stress relief. Thank goodness writing is always good for that!**

**Also, I know Stevie Rae had three older brothers, but I'm running out of names for them. I'm not sure if I want to use the ones I've used in other fanfics…**

**AND BEFORE YOU STOP READING! I really, really need help with naming Stevie Rae's dad. HELP WOULD BE MUCH APPRECIATED! Leave a review or PM me if you got name ideas please!**

**~Smiley**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N**

**I'm feeling a lot of feels for this story. Gotta keep writing… Hey, it needs to get started. A couple more chapters, and then I'll get back to my other stories.**

**Thanks to all who reviewed! Specifically…**

**-baby Cyclopes**

**-Guest**

**-Guest (Jimbob will be a name of a side character, just not one of the brothers).**

**-inquiete**

**You guys are awesome, and thanks for your help with the names! Credit will be given when the brothers/father are introduced.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own HON. I do not own the characters, except maybe my OCs, but they haven't even made an appearance yet. So to summarize, I don't own!**

**~Smiley**

* * *

Chapter 2

His hour of anticipation and silent, unnoticeable anxiety attacks were up. Stevie Rae turned the car down yet another dirt road…but now he could see the lone house at the end of the long dirt stretch, which would probably make the "road" they were on a driveway. Rephaim almost wanted to run back to the tree that marked the last turn before he was dragged into the path of doom.

Well, maybe it wasn't going to be "doom"…or not. He was the boyfriend of the one and only daughter of a man with a gun and the sister of three, probably protective older brothers. The odds of her family liking him weren't exactly in his favor.

He was so lost in thought that he hardly noticed that the car had stopped moving. He stared in suppressed agony at the ranch-style house with white siding and a big front porch. It looked friendly enough. Actually, Rephaim instantly took a liking to it. It just looked so nice and homey there was no possible way someone could not like it.

It was just who was inside the house that made him nervous. Stevie Rae told him that her mother already loved him and wanted to give him "a big ol' hug," but he wasn't entirely sure that was the case. He suspected that she was just trying to make him feel better. After all, there was no way to sugar-coat the fact that her father was going to hate his guts.

"Rephaim?" Stevie Rae asked, but he didn't seem to hear her. She was a little worried about him; he had been stressing the entire ride here. He hardly spoke (not that he was much of a talker anyway) and didn't even complain a little bit when she blasted the country station. He had told her before that he didn't mind her listening to whatever music she wanted; he just had a problem when it was so loud he could feel the pounding beat in the air around him. She had cranked the radio as high as it could go, hoping to get a reaction out of him, but she got nothing. He just stared out the window into space, like some sort of zombie. Honestly, it scared the heck out of her.

Now he was staring at the house, completely frozen in what Stevie Rae could tell was some sort of fear. What was he afraid of?

"Rephaim?" Stevie Rae repeated. It was killing her to see him like this. Was he honestly that scared of meeting her family? Maybe she shouldn't have made him come. They haven't even been officially dating for a month. Was this a bad idea?

"Rephaim!" she exclaimed, needing him to do or say something.

Rephaim looked like someone had splashed cold water in his face. "What?" he asked, blinking at her.

"Are you okay?" She gently lifted a hand to his forehead. He wasn't feverish, but he was sweating a little. "What's wrong?"

"I am well, Stevie Rae," he assured her, taking her hand from his forehead and holding it in his hand instead. "Why would something be wrong?" he asked.

"Well, you've been real out of it for the entire ride here, and you're really clammy right now."

Rephaim offered her what was obviously a brave smile, but it quickly faded. He ran the hand that wasn't holding hers through his hair and down his face. He sighed.

"What's wrong, Rephaim?" Stevie Rae asked again.

"I suppose I'm just…nervous," he admitted.

"About what? Meeting my family?" she prompted.

"Yes, exactly that." He tore his eyes away from her worried gaze.

"Please talk to me, Rephaim," she begged. He remained silent for a moment.

"What if they hate me?" Rephaim asked suddenly.

"Rephaim, they aren't going to hate you," Stevie Rae said.

"Stevie Rae, you don't know that," Rephaim insisted.

"Sure I do. My brothers will like you. Willy **(Name Credit: Guest. Willy is short for William)** and Frank **(Name Credit: baby Cyclopes)** like everybody. They may try to annoy you to death, but they'll like you. And I you'll get along well with Simon **(Name Credit: Guest).** You two are actually a lot alike. Grandpa Joe **(Name Credit: inquiete. I was going to make Joe the father, but then I realized Grandpa Joe had a certain ring to it)** will like you too. Mama's already told me herself that she couldn't wait to meet you."

"I cannot help but notice you left your father out of that," Rephaim said, smiling. He hated that he had made her worried, and he was determined not to ruin her reunion with her family. He was still nervous about the whole thing, but she had made him feel a little better.

"Well…I don't think he'll _hate_ you…"

As much as he was still sick to his stomach, he couldn't help but chuckle. "Is it true that he has a gun?"

"Where did you hear—Stark." Rephaim nodded.

"I, um, can quite honestly tell ya that he, uh, doesn't have a single gun in his possession," Stevie Rae said quickly. Rephaim raised an eyebrow and met her gaze steadily.

"He doesn't have a single gun?" Rephaim repeated her words as a question.

"Nope. Not a single gun."

"So you're telling me that he does not own a gun," Rephaim said, trying to clarify the meaning of her words.

"Not a single gun," Stevie Rae repeated.

Rephaim stared at her silently for another few moments before giving in. "Very well. I suppose we should go inside now, shouldn't we?" Rephaim said, going to open the door.

"Hang on a sec!" Stevie Rae said, grabbing his arm.

"Wha—" Rephaim's question was cut off when she pressed her lips to his. Rephaim froze in surprise for a moment before relaxing and kissing her back. His hand went from the door handle to her face, his thumb caressing her cheek as he rubbed it gently back and forth, back and forth. The kiss was gentle and sweet and filled with the purest love they shared for each other.

When they finally pulled apart, both were breathing heavily. Rephaim looked into her sparkling blue eyes, smiling back at her. Stevie Rae held his hand and intertwined their fingers together. She looked down at their joined hands for moment before returning to his beautiful brown eyes.

"Thank you, Rephaim. For coming with me. I know that you're really stressed about this, but I want you to know that I really 'ppreciate you doing this," Stevie Rae said.

Rephaim's smile turned into a full-blown grin, and he leaned over to her and gently kissed her cheek. "I'd do anything for you. You know that, right?" he whispered in her ear.

He was already very close to her, so it wasn't hard at all for her to throw her arms around him. She nodded, nudging his neck with her nose. "I'd do anything for you too, Rephaim," she said. "I love you."

Rephaim wrapped his arms around her as well. "And I you, Stevie Rae, my Red One."

Rephaim held her for a few moments more, savoring the calm before the storm that was sure to come the minute he went up to that front door. Rephaim took a deep breath, smiled to himself, and pulled away from her. "Let's go see your family, shall we?" Rephaim asked, grinning at her.

She grinned back at him, nodding, and they both got out of the car. Rephaim got the bags out of the trunk, and Stevie Rae took hers from him, holding his hand in the hand that wasn't holding her suitcase. She was beaming now, practically radiating happiness. This was why he had agreed to come. This was what made the butterflies in his stomach worth it. Stevie Rae was so happy right now, and that was what made Rephaim happy.

She started doing the skip/run/bounce thing as she dragged him to the front door. She was smiling at him as he dropped her hand to ring the doorbell. At the push of the button, the cheerful sound ran through the house and just made it to Rephaim's ears. That bell snapped him out of the happiness fog he had been experiencing as running footsteps made the whole weight of what was going to happen next crash down on him.

_By all the gods_, Rephaim thought to himself. _What have I done?_

* * *

**A/N**

**Review pretty please! Next chapter will be up soon…and you'll finally meet Stevie Rae's family! And I have my last midterm tomorrow…wish me luck!**

**~Smiley**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N**

**I'm back with a new chapter. You finally get to meet the family! Yay! Thanks to all who reviewed! Specifically…**

**-almbookbuyer**

**-baby Cyclopes**

**-inquiete**

**-Guest**

**-JadeT18 F-Psy**

**You guys rock!**

**Disclaimer: Nope, no HON owning over here. Nope nope nope.**

**~Smiley**

* * *

Chapter 3

Stevie Rae gasped as she realized something.

"Hey, Rephaim?" she asked quickly, before the rushing footsteps could reach the door.

"Yes?"

"I'm not saying you should ever lie to my daddy, but if he happens to ask whether or not I'm a virgin, I fully expect you to tell him I am," she babbled quickly.

He didn't even have time to respond to that when the door swung wide open, revealing what seemed to be an older version of Stevie Rae. Rephaim was finding it hard not to stare at the woman who looked like a carbon-copy of the girl standing next to him, except she was roughly fifty pounds heavier. The only thing that was off was the eye color; Mrs. Johnson had green eyes while Stevie Rae's were blue.

"Oh, baby!" Mrs. Johnson cried, throwing her arms around her daughter. Rephaim took Stevie Rae suitcase from her hand so she could properly hug her mother back.

"Mama!" Stevie Rae said happily, smiling as her momma enveloped her in a great big bear hug. Both of them were laughing and crying at the same time; Rephaim stood behind them, smiling at their obvious joy.

Finally, they broke their embrace, and Mrs. Johnson looked at Stevie Rae, Rephaim, and then back to Stevie Rae again. "And who might this handsome young man be?" she asked her daughter.

Stevie Rae beamed up at Rephaim, biting her lip in excitement. "Mama, this is Rephaim. Rephaim, this is my momma."

"Oh so you're Rephaim!" Mrs. Johnson exclaimed happily.

Rephaim stuck out his hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Johns—"

Rephaim's words were lost as the air was squeezed out of him. Stevie Rae took her suitcase back from him so he could properly hug her momma back.

"Oh, it's so great to finally meet you!" Mrs. Johnson was saying. Then she whispered so only Rephaim could hear, "Thank you for saving my baby."

"You-you're welcome," Rephaim replied, a little surprised. Then, just as suddenly as she had hugged him, she pulled away, ushering him and Stevie Rae inside.

"Boys!" Mrs. Johnson yelled. "Oh, where are your brothers, Stevie Rae?" she continued, turning around to shout down the hallway, "Boys, they're here!"

Two identical boys seemed to pop out of nowhere. "Relax, Mama," one said, spinning his mother back around and smiling at his sister.

"Yeah, we heard you squealin' when the doorbell rang," the other added, moving around his mother and brother so he could give Stevie Rae a huge hug that literally took her off her feet; he held her about a foot off the ground.

"We're so glad you're not dead!" the one holding Stevie Rae said.

"Yeah, even though it's a little weird to be thinkin' of you as undead," the other boy said. "You don't look too much like a zombie."

Stevie Rae giggled. "Willy!" she complained, still laughing. "I can't breathe!"

"Fine, be that way," the one holding Stevie Rae, who he presumed was Willy, said, putting Stevie Rae back on the ground, but before she could gain her balance, he pushed her so she tumbled into the other brother, who hugged her but allowed her to remain on the ground.

Stevie Rae was laughing and hugging the other boy back. Rephaim smiled.

Then Willy turned and playfully punched Rephaim on the arm. "So who are you?" he asked.

Willy's look-alike released Stevie Rae, who grabbed Rephaim's hand.

"Willy," she gestured to the one standing next to Rephaim, "and Frank," she gestured towards the one standing next to her, "this Rephaim. Rephaim, these two are Willy and Frank, my older brothers. They're twins, which is why they look so alike."

It was true. Both boys had the same green eyes and dirty blond hair. They were also roughly the same height and build, and they both had twin smirks and eyes that gleamed mischievously.

"Nice to meet you," Rephaim said, taking Willy's extended hand and then Frank's.

"So are you a human or a fledgling wearing make-up?" Frank asked, squinting at Rephaim's forehead as he shook his hand.

"I am not a fledgling, but I am not exactly human either," Rephaim answered as best he could.

"Shit. Stevie Rae, did you bring home a werewolf?" Willy asked.

"Boys, be nice," Mrs. Johnson warned. Her words were followed by a repeated dinging in the kitchen. "Oh, that's the ham! C'mon, c'mon, don't just hang around in the doorway," Mrs. Johnson said, ushering them down the little hallway and into the kitchen. Stevie Rae took his hand as she led him further into the house. _Three down, three to go_, Rephaim thought to himself. _Not so bad yet_.

At the end of the little hallway, the rest of the kitchen was to the left, and to the right, he could see the dining room table and the five steps down into the cozy-looking living room. Mrs. Johnson hurried over to get the ham out of the oven, telling them how she had a great meal prepared and cookies for after dinner.

"Grandpa Joe, Simon, and your daddy are in the livin' room," Mrs. Johnson told them, opening the oven.

"Okie dokie. C'mon, Rephaim," Stevie Rae replied, smiling up at him. He smiled back, trying not to feel too terrified. She had said Simon and Grandpa Joe would like him, and so far she hadn't been wrong about her mother, Willy and Frank. At least, Rephaim didn't think that they hated him.

Nevertheless, he was relieved her father didn't have a gun.

He let Stevie Rae lead him down the couple steps into the living room. She was following the twin brothers, and Rephaim could tell she was completely in her element. She turned around, her eyes sparkling, and swung their joined hands happily. She looked so calm and comfortable that Rephaim couldn't help but telegraph his own happiness for her through his own eyes.

Of course, that staring-into-each-other's-eyes moment was shattered when Rephaim was whacked with something hard.

Rephaim jerked his head to the side to see who had delivered the blow to his back and found himself looking at an old man with a cane.

"Who are you?" the old man asked from his armchair, waving his wooden cane around some more. Rephaim ducked, just avoiding getting whacked in the head. Rephaim couldn't help but think he sounded almost exactly like the old men from the old cartoons he had watched. (It had been part of his lessons on "modern stuff").

"My name is Rephaim," he answered who he could only assume was Grandpa Joe, extending a hand.

Grandpa Joe squinted his eyes at him. "Have we met before?"

"I do not believe so, sir," Rephaim replied.

"Oh, good. I thought I was goin' crazy again," Grandpa Joe said, ignoring Rephaim's offered hand.

"Grandpa Joe is blind as a bat," Stevie Rae whispered to him. "You gotta shake his hand."

"What was that?" her grandfather asked, squinting his hardly-seeing eyes and moving his head back and forth like he was looking for something.

"Hey, Grandpa!" Stevie Rae said, leaning down to give her grandfather a hug.

"Who are you?" Grandpa Joe asked.

"Stevie Rae," she replied cheerfully, "your granddaughter. Remember?"

"Ah, yes. I remember now. But didn't you go to that fancy-smacy vampyre school in the city?" he asked, sounding very confused.

"Yeah, but I came home to visit for a while. Didn't Mama tell ya?"

"No! I don't get told anything around here no more."

"Yes, I did!" Mrs. Johnson called from the kitchen. "Ya just can't remember what I tell ya!"

Grandpa Joe grumbled to himself, standing shakily with the aid of his cane. "And ya brought one of your little friends with you to visit, right? That's the nice girl who was just speakin'? What was her name?"

"His name is Rephaim, Grandpa, and he's a guy," Stevie Rae explained gently.

"No," her grandpa said, shaking his head back and forth. "She was right over here…" He reached out with his hand and waved his cane, searching blindly for Rephaim.

Before he could get whacked again with the deadly cane, Rephaim took her grandfather's hand in a handshake.

"You got a firm grip, my girl," Grandpa Joe said.

"I am not a girl, sir," Rephaim corrected gently. Grandpa Joe's expression was a little confused, and he released Rephaim's hand and blindly waved his hand around until he found Rephaim's chest. Rephaim stayed still while he patted his chest and looked even more confused.

"No, you're just a flat girl," Grandpa Joe concluded, nodding like it all made sense.

"Oh, he ain't a girl, Dad," came a deep voice from the other side of the room.

Rephaim's gaze was automatically jerked away from the grandfather, who was lowering himself back into the chair. There in the armchair on the other side of the couch, sat a large man stuffing a wire bristle brush tipped-cleaning rod down the barrel of an extremely large shotgun.

"Not a single gun, huh, Stevie Rae," Rephaim murmured in a low voice so only Stevie Rae could hear.

"Yeah, well, he doesn't have a single gun; he has three," Stevie Rae explained quietly and quickly as the man, who Rephaim could tell was her father. He had darker blond hair, but his eyes were the same shade of blue as Stevie Rae's. The only huge difference was that Stevie Rae's eyes stared at him warmly and lovingly while her father's stared at her with cold hatred. "He usually keeps the shotgun out in the barn though."

Rephaim finally noticed Stevie Rae's final family member, her oldest brother, when he stood up, clearing his throat.

"Hey, Daddy!" Stevie Rae said her father put the gun on the table next to him, dropping Rephaim's hand to go greet her father. Stevie Rae's oldest brother, the only one he hadn't formally met yet, stepped towards him. He was the spitting image of his father, except for one thing.

"Hey. I'm Simon," the boy said, extending to Rephaim his right hand, the only good hand he possessed. Simon's other arm ended right before where his elbow should be, making that the one difference between him and his father, who had to hands fully capable of shooting him with the gun on the side table.

However, Simon had a small smiled on his face, and he didn't seem to hate Rephaim at first glance. Rephaim returned the smile and grasped his hand. "Rephaim."

"Don't worry too much 'bout the gun," Simon said quietly, calmly. "Mama would kill him if he fired it in the house."

Rephaim's expression told him he wasn't so sure.

Meanwhile, Stevie Rae was hugging her father, who had stood up to properly hug his daughter. She took comfort in the familiar embrace of home, but then she remembered the gun.

"Did you really need to bring out the gun?" she asked him quietly.

"Oh, absolutely darlin'," her father assured her.

She pulled away, smiling wryly at him. "Please go easy on him."

"Oh, no can do, pumpkin," Jeff Johnson **(Name Credit: baby Cyclopes, who said something with a J, and inquiete, who said something average and simple)** replied, stepping around his daughter, who looked worried but tried to smile at Rephaim reassuringly, to formally meet the boyfriend.

Jeff was one of those people one didn't want to cross. He was one of those people that everyone feared and/or respected, and he was definitely one of those over-protective fathers. Naturally, Jeff was not pleased when he had heard that Stevie Rae had a boyfriend, even more unhappy and that they had imprinted, and very unsatisfied when he heard that she was bringing him along when she came back home for a visit.

"Hello, Rephaim," Jeff said, gripping Rephaim's hand in a hard handshake. Rephaim could hear his hand crack, as if he had cracked his knuckles instead of having his hand squeezed to death by his girlfriend's father. "I'm Stevie Rae's father, Jeff, but don't even think for a second you can call me that."

"Of course not, sir," Rephaim replied. Stevie Rae had been wrong about one thing: Rephaim was sure her father absolutely hated him.

"And remember one thing, boy," Mr. Johnson said in a low voice so only Rephaim, and maybe Simon, who was still close by, could hear. "You hurt my little girl in any way; I will not hesitate to shoot you in the ba—"

"Okay, Rephaim," Simon said, cutting between Rephaim and his father before he could finish the sentence. "Why don't ya come with me? I'll show you where you're gonna be sleepin'." Simon picked up Stevie Rae's little suitcase from where she had left it by the coffee table before she had went to greet her father.

"Sure," Rephaim said, nodding nervously and following Simon up the stairs and out of the living room.

As he walked away, he could hear Grandpa Joe ask loudly, "What did she say?"

* * *

**A/N**

**Review please! I would love some feedback on the brothers, the dad, and Grandpa Joe!**

**~Smiley**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N**

**Thanks to all who reviewed! Specifically…**

**-baby Cyclopes**

**-Cantthinkofaname**

**-inquiete**

**-JadeT18 F-Psy**

**-almbookbuyer**

**-iluvstark**

**-Stephaim Fan**

**-Guest**

**You guys rock! Hope you like chapter 4!**

**Disclaimer: Nope, nope, nope. No owning…**

**~Smiley**

* * *

Chapter 4

Rephaim followed Simon up the five steps, through the kitchen, and up another few steps to another part of the house.

"These are where the bedrooms are," Simon said, gesturing with his one hand even though he was still holding his little sister's suitcase. "That's my parents room, and across the hall is Grandpa Joe's. Then there's the twins room, and then here's our room." Simon stopped in front of the door. "Uh, ya mind?" Simon asked, jerking his head towards the door.

Rephaim nodded and turned the knob. Then he followed Simon into the room.

"You'll be staying in here for the time being," Simon said, "so make yourself at home."

"You can throw your bag by the bed. I'm gonna dump this in Stevie Rae's room," Simon told him, leaving Rephaim to take in his surroundings. Up against the right wall were bunk beds, and on the right side of the room were a closet and a desk, which was covered in various items. Simon returned a moment later.

"So…" Simon said, putting his hand in his pocket and standing in the doorway semi-awkwardly. "Um…Sorry 'bout my dad, he's…a little over protective of Stevie Rae, to say the least."

Rephaim grunted in agreement.

"Yeah, well, normally I am too, but I figured he's gonna give ya enough hell for the both of us. So I'll try to be nice."

"Thank you?" Rephaim said the words as a question.

"No problem," Simon replied. An awkward silence fell over them. Rephaim twiddled his thumbs, and Simon stared at his feet. Then, assuming the poor guy probably wasn't ready to go back to being in the same room with his father, Simon decided cross the room and sit on the lower bunk. "I'm gonna go ahead and apologize in advance for the twins. Willy and Frank are just annoying by nature, and ya shouldn't take anything they say or do personally."

"They cannot be that bad, can they?"

Simon laughed. "Oh, hell yeah they can. But, again, don't worry 'bout it too much." Rephaim nodded, turning so he was faced towards Simon but not actually looking at him.

"And ya should probably know Grandpa Joe forgets everyone, so don't get offended if he forgets your name. We all have to remind him every time we go into the same room as him, and we live with him. Mama already loves ya so you're safe there. Try and stick to her; she doesn't let anybody get away with any crap, and that includes Dad. Let's see…what else can I warn you about…" Simon said, his voice trailing off.

"You offer up advice very easily," Rephaim stated.

It wasn't a question, but Simon answered him like it was one anyway. "Yeah, well, ya looked like ya were gonna pass out when Dad started talkin' to ya, so I'm just tryin' to lend a hand. Besides, if I was in your shoes, I'd probably want someone to help me out too."

"Well, thank you," Rephaim said.

"No, thank you," Simon replied.

Rephaim's face asked his question.

"You are the only person I've met who doesn't immediately ask why I don't have my left arm the second there's no one else around. Did Stevie Rae already tell ya or something?"

"No, she did not," Rephaim said. "And I would not ask you to talk about something so personal. It would be your decision whether or not to tell me something such as that, and it is not something I should or would try to force you to share. You do not have to thank me for not doing something that I shouldn't do anyway."

Simon nodded as if this made sense to him, giving Rephaim a small smile mixed with a half-smirk. "Would ya want to know?"

Rephaim shrugged. Simon decided to tell him anyway; after all, he really did want to get along with this guy. Simon wanted Stevie Rae to be happy, and from what little he had seen of them together so far, he could already tell Rephaim made her really happy. But, you know, the fact that Simon would be sharing his room with the guy didn't exactly not help either.

"Back when I was fifteen, I got it caught in one of the machines. Completely tore through most of my arm, irreparably damagin' everything up to 'bout here." Simon pointed to a spot just above where his elbow should have been. "My arm was basically shreds by the time we got it out and got to the ER, and they just amputated it. It never would have been usable again anyway, so they removed the dead weight."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Rephaim said. "It must have been painful."

"When it first got caught, it was, but by the time Dad, Willy, and Frank got it outta the machine, I couldn't feel it anymore. Something about killin' the nerve cells in the arm. I was pretty much out of it, but that could've been from the blood loss. Dad and Stevie Rae took me to the ER, but when the doctors amputated it, I didn't feel anything."

Rephaim nodded as if he understood. "What hurt more was tryin' to adjust back afterwards. It was frustratin' as hell not being able to do anything for myself," Simon continued. "It's still annoyin' sometimes, even though it's been six years, but it's normal now, even if I'm still not completely used to it."

After sharing so much about him, Rephaim couldn't help but feel like he should tell Simon something about himself as well. He sat on the bunk next to Simon. "How much do you know of my past?" Rephaim asked.

"Not much. Ya met Stevie Rae in Tulsa. That's 'bout it."

"Do you know what I was when we met?"

Simon shook his head.

"Have you ever heard of a Raven Mocker?"

"Yeah, I think so. I did a paper on Cherokee legends once back when I was in school. They terrorized Cherokee villages, killing people and raping the girls. They're supposed to have the face and body of a real big bird and the limbs of a man, right?"

"Yes. That's correct. They had wings too."

"Can I ask what the point of this is?"

"I was a Raven Mocker," Rephaim stated.

"Rephaim, sorry to break this to you, but ya don't look much like a bird."

Rephaim chuckled. "That would be why I _was_ one."

"Whatchya do, get plastic surgery?" Simon asked. "Wait a second, why the hell did my sister get tangled up in that shit? From what I remember, Raven Mockers were seriously bad news." Rephaim could practically see it in Simon's eyes as he mentally gathered all the information he had once stumbled across. His eyes widened as he remembered the whole raping girls part of legend.

"No, no, no. I did not meet her the way you are obviously thinking. Your sister was never harmed by me or any of my brothers."

Simon didn't look too convinced, but he urged Rephaim to get to the point. "So go on. How did you meet her?"

"Remember when I said that Raven Mockers had wings? That was the one and only good thing about being a monster: flying," Rephaim said, and the joyful memory of the wind underneath his wings was so close to being palpable that Simon could almost see it.

"Remember when I asked what the point of this was?" he prompted.

Rephaim chuckled. "Your sister found me close to death. One of the warriors had shot me from the sky; the bullet wound and the fall caused the breaking of my arm and the shattering of my wing among some other injuries. Stevie Rae healed the wound in my chest and my arm, but she couldn't do much to help my wing. I couldn't fly anymore."

"Huh," Simon grunted, still not understanding what Rephaim was trying to tell him. Instead of letting his mind keep wheeling, he formulated another question. "But how did you become human then?" Simon asked.

"The goddess, Nyx, forgave my past actions when I chose to walk her path with Stevie Rae and granted me the form of a human from sunset to sunrise."

"And during the day?"

"During the day I am completely a raven. It is to atone for the mistakes of my past."

"Can I ask you one more question?"

"I believe you just did," Rephaim replied.

Simon smiled, but asked another question anyway. "Why are you tellin' me all this?"

"Because I find it frustrating sometimes to feel the wind and not be able to spread my wings and take off with it. It is still annoying sometimes, even though it has been weeks, but it's normal now, even if I'm still not completely used to it."

Simon blinked, looking at Rephaim for a moment before smiling at how Rephaim's words had echoed his own. "Ya know what, Rephaim?" he said, standing up and clapping Rephaim on the shoulder. "I think you're alright."

Rephaim smiled as well, glad he had seemed to have done something right, glad he seemed to be able to truly get along with someone in Stevie Rae's family.

"We should probably go back out there. Mama's probably gonna call us for—"

"Dinner!" Mrs. Johnson's voice interrupted her son. Simon grinned as they both realized she had managed to complete Simon's sentence without knowing.

"A word of advice," Simon said, "sit in between Mama and Stevie Rae at dinner. Stevie Rae would want you sitting next to her anyway, and Mama will keep Willy and Frank's antics under control. Grandpa Joe will still probably think you're a girl, and, well, it isn't likely that Dad's gonna warm up to ya just yet."

"Thank you, again."

"Yeah, yeah. Let's go." Simon brushed off his thanks and left the room, Rephaim following him, thinking perhaps this trip wouldn't be so bad.

However, he still had a long way to go before he could get her father to even consider liking him.

* * *

**A/N**

**Reviews would be much appreciated!**

**~Smiley**


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